(SCRAPPED VERSION) The Other Side of The Planet

Chapter X

The three collide with the bookshelf and are pelted with objects from the other side of the room. The boat rocks wildly. Jars of powder shatter as they crash onto the floor. The desk and chest of drawers at the opposite end of the room topple over, spilling all of their contents onto the floorboards.

After the impact, Ackely and Ogden fall onto a pile of clothing and groan in agony.

"Ackely?" Ogden groans. He lays on his side, curled into a ball.

"Og... Ogden, are you okay?" Ackely says, holding his stomach.

"I think so. Biff?"

A muffled groan is heard from beneath the desk.

"Biff!" Ogden shakily begins to stand and extends a hand to Ackley. "Sh-she's under the desk!"

Ackely grabs Ogden's hand and stands, using most of his strength to uphold himself. The two wobble to the desk and attempt to lift it. Using all of their force, they slowly lift the desk until it falls onto its legs and stands upright.

Lifting the desk reveals Biff, lying limp and sprawled out on the floor. The static in her eyes flicker dimly.

"Biff!" Ackely cries. Tears begin to fill his eye.

Biff's head slowly turns to Ackley and her mouth moves slightly. "Wh... did y.. s..y?" Her voice sounds muffled and fuzzy, as if it were coming from a dying speaker.

Ackely sobs. "Biff! Oh, Biff, please hang on!"

Biff looks to Ogden feebly and her voice becomes slightly clearer. "S..mething... w..s foll..wing us...?"

As Ogden begins to overcome the shock of seeing his friend in such a state, he tears up. "Yes, yes, something was following the boat!"

"..ll be ..kay... P..sh the boat..."

The two look to each other and exchange looks of fear and anguish. As much as they want to accompany Biff, they know what will happen if they do not do as she says.

A large sob escapes Ackely's mouth and he buries his face in his hands.

Ogden breathes deeply and steps towards the door. "We have to!" he says. "Whatever that thing is will catch up to us!" He takes another step over the mess beneath him and pain rushes through his leg, causing him to wail.

Ackely glaces towards Ogden, then looks back to Biff. Biff meets Ackely's gaze and forces a faint smile.

"I'll b...okay..."

Ackely nods and steps towards Ogden, each step heavy with fear and reluctance. He holds Ogden's side and the two shuffle through the mess and into the main room, which looks as though it had been brutally ravaged. Much of the furniture lays against the wall to the right and in the lounge pit. They limp around fallen chairs and tables until they reach the front door.

Ogden reaches towards the door and pushes it open. As the door slams against the boat, the observe countless bits of broken rock behind and around the boat. The rubble bobs above and below the surface of the ocean, floating on the choppy waves. The edge of the deck is wet with a fresh coat of water.

"Do you think you can climb up?" Ackely asks.

"I don't know," Ogden replies. "Wait— Ackely, look at the deck. I don't think it was wet the last time we were here."

"You're right. Was there something keeping the water away?"

"I think so. Some sort of invisible shield." Ogden puts a hand on his forehead. "Well, there had to have been something. That rock would've shredded the boat."

"Wait, why was there a rock directly in front of the boat?!"

"I don't know! It doesn't matter at the moment. We have to push the boat before that thing catches up!"

"Do you think it's even safe to push the boat without the shield? What if the boat capsizes without it?"

Fright fills Ogden's body at the thought of the only option being to wait for the shadow to envelop the boat.

"I... I don't know. What do we do? We have to do something besides wait for that thing to reveal itself!"

"We— Uh— We have to ask Biff!" Ackely lets go of Ogden and faces the door.

Ogden shouts, "There isn't enough time! We have to do something now! Think, think..."

Suddenly, an image flashes in Ogden's mind. He remembers how the boat glowed when Biff dragged it from beneath the water and an idea manifests within him, as well as a small glimmer of hope.

"Ackely, can you climb to the top of the boat?"

"I think so."

"Climb up and look at what's following us."

Ackely nods and slowly ascends the dome. Once he reaches the top, he turns to face the large, glowing shadow, much closer than before the crash.

"Oh my goodness! It's moving so fast!" he says, panicked.

"Is it glowing?" Ogden asks.

"Yes, yes it is! Why do you ask?"

"This is only a possibility, but I think it may have aristone on it somewhere!"

"Really?"

"Yes! Remember what the boat looked like when it was underwater?"

"I do! That thing looks identi— Oh, goodness! Ogden, what are you planning? It's almost here!"

"Come down and we'll throw it away from the boat!"

Ackely stares down at Ogden as if he'd gone mad. "We're going to throw that?! It's as big as the boat itself!"

"What else can we try?"

Ackely glances around his feet as he fails to think of an idea that is more likely to succeed. "Alright! Let's toss this thing across the ocean!"

Ackely slides off of the dome onto the deck beside Ogden. The two can see the ripples from the massive, underwater bullet racing towards the boat at an unnatural speed. The glow becomes brighter and the shadow grows as it approaches the surface of the ocean.

"I don't know how far we can reach with the spell, so push when I count to three!" Ogden says. Ackely nods.

"One..."

The glow shines ever brighter.

"Two..."

The shadow races ever nearer.

"Three!"

The two shout in unison, "Commuo vetu chisu!"

In addition to the masses of aristone on the boat, they sense a rough, round clump speeding towards them. They focus all of their strength into pulling it up and pushing it away from the boat.

Mere meters away from the deck, an anglerfish the size of the boat is launched out of the water. The blue of its skin is as deep as the ocean and its light overpowers the sun. As it's dragged into the air by its light, its many jagged, razor teeth glimmer in its colossal jaw with the droplets and waves that erupted from the ocean during its emergence.

As Ackely and Ogden's visyō quickly drain away, the beast rockets through the air. Its off-white eyes, devoid of pupils, show no emotion as it tumbles into the sky. The two push upward against the light hanging from the fish's head until it's reduced to nothing but a daytime star, twinkling high above the water.

Losing sight of the beast, the two start to lose their grip on consciousness.

"Oggy, we..." Ackely pants, "we did it..."

Their vision and hearing become distorted.

Ogden stumbles. "Yeah, we... I'm gonna sit..."

"Me... me too..."

The two attempt to sit down and collapse onto the deck. The harsh waves lull them and they succumb to the overwhelming drowsiness.